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| Why Travel YIE | |||
| Contact us |
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses." Acts 1:8 |
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| World Youth Day |
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| WYD Packages |
Practical WYD Information |
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| Booking a Tour | |||
| Practical Info | Money in Australia | ~ How much, what kind, where to keep it... | |
| Australian Links | Medical Concerns | ~ Insurance, medications... | |
| WYD Photo Center | Electrical Items | ~ What to know before you go... | |
| Official WYD Site | Calling Home | ~ Calling cards, cell phones... | |
| Win a Free Trip | Emergency Contacts | ~ How to contact a pilgrim... | |
| Differences in Sydney | ~ How will WYD in Sydney be different... | ||
| Packing List | ~ What not to bring... | ||
| WYD Schedule | ~ Daily Schedule for WYD... | ||
| Vatican Documents | ~ Vatican documents on WYD... | ||
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| 1. Changing Money We do not recommend you change any money before you leave the US because the exchange rates here are very poor. However, if you do, change only enough to get you through a day or two. You will have the opportunity to change money when you get there. | ||
| 2. How much to change When you arrive, we recommend that you change at least half of your money and probably more since it's a hassle to change it every day. Youth in Europe is working with Travelex to provide special money exchange stations in the airport for your arrival. | ||
| 3. Cash This the the best way to carry small amounts of money ($300 or less). It's easily changeable and there are no added fees. | ||
| 4. Credit Cards You can buy almost anything in Australia with Visa or MC. You will get the banks exchange rate minus their commission (usually 3%). This is a good safety net for emergencies. | ||
| 5. Debit Cards These are handy to withdraw money from anywhere in Australia. Your bank will charge you a withdrawal fee but you should get a good exchange rate. Only use this for larger withdrawals since the fee is charged each time. Imagine a $5 fee on a $20 w/d. | ||
| 6. Travelers Checks In order to stop you from this nightmare have some one give you swirleys until you give up the idea. This was a good idea in 1965, but things have changed. The fees are usuriously high and if you lose them you might not get your money back until you return to the States. Forget it. | ||
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7. Where to stash your cash Youth in Europe recommends that everyone use a money belt. Your money belt will be worn under your pants and only comes off when you shower. The around the neck types are good in Winter and will probably be acceptable in Sydney, but in Queensland they will not work as well. We do not recommend you carry a purse or wallet. Although Australia is a very safe country, it would be better not to tempt fate. | |
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| 1. Insurance You should check your insurance company to see if you have coverage in Australia. Many do cover you but you must pay up front and then get reimbursed. If you do not have coverage you can buy travelers medical insurance online (google it). | ||
| 2. Insurance during WYD Your WYD registration will likely include medical insurance during the week of WYD. If you pass out, they will stick you with an IV at no charge! | ||
| 3. Prescription Medications If you will be bringing a prescription med, get an extra prescription from the doctor in case the meds get lost. Make sure to bring the meds in the original bottle. | ||
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| 1. Don't bring it The first rule of thumb is don't bring anything you have to plug in, especially if it has to do with your hair. Things like that almost always blow up or melt in Australia's 220V current. | ||
| 2. Cameras and Video-cams and cell phones These will obviously need to be recharged. The continent of Australia operates on 220V not the 110V like in the US. Their plugs are diagonal, not rectangular (European plugs are round). Virtually every high end electronic device these days can handle the 220V without a converter (look at the fine print on the charger). All you need is an adaptor to change the plug shape. You can buy these at any REI or online (just google Australian electrical adaptor). | ||
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| 1. Pre-paid Calling Cards The best way to call home is using these. They are inexpensive at Sam's Club and Costco. If you buy one you have to call the company (MCI, ATT) before you leave to ask for their access numbers for the countries you will be in. | ||
| 2. Cell Phones Some Cell phones work in Australia. If you have T-Mobile or Cingular, your phone might work. If you have a tri-band phone that operates on the 900/1800/1900 bands, it will work, but you have to call your company and ask them to turn on the international function. We definitely do not recommend anyone bring their cell phones except chaperones. Roaming charges will be around $1.50 per minute. You can purchase SIM cards in Australia and make calls back to North America for around $0.28 per minute. | ||
| 3. Collect Calls These can be very expensive, but can vary from company to company. | ||
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4. Credit card calls WAIT...STOP...HEAD FOR THE HILLS. Every pay phone has a sticker wooing you to use your credit card for calls to the US. What they don't tell you is it costs $40/min or more. | |
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| 1. Hotels Before your group leaves a complete list of hotels (if you have chosen hotels) will be provided with phone and fax numbers. | ||
| 2. Cell Phones Every Youth in Europe and Harvest Guide will have a cell phone in case you need to get into contact with someone immediately. That number will also be provided to you before your group departs. | ||
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3. Youth in Europe Youth in Europe will have several master coordinators in Australia to help if a problem arises (you will also have these cell phone numbers). You can also get a message to your group through Youth in Europe's office. | |
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| 1. Weather World Youth Day will take place from July 15th to the 20th, 2008. This is the middle of winter for Australia, but not to worry, it's like winter in San Diego. The highs are typically 60F and the lows 48F. This will be much like Cologne in August of 2005. | ||
| 2. Venues Unlike in Germany, Sydney is planning on cutting down dramatically on the number of daily venues and making them bigger. This will vastly reduce the need to find small venue sites all over the map. This kind of problem caused many pilgrims to completely miss the events they chose to see. | ||
| 3. Final Mass The final vigil and Mass will be held at Randwick Racecourse just three miles from downtown Sydney. | ||
| 4. Cost The World Youth Day committee has decided to raise the registration fee for all first world participants and lower the cost for others. The reasoning is that it is an act of social justice. You can expect to pay around $280 for complete registration rather than the $200 for past WYD's. | ||
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5. Beauty Sydney is without question one of the most beautiful settings in the world. In fact, the city was built where it is because of the natural port it provides. The views from the National Parks on the Pacific coast are like no other. Youth in Europe plans to take each of our groups to these parks. | |
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| 1. What to Pack Coming Soon... | ||
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| July 10th-14th Days in the Diocese, a program where pilgrims from around the world are invited into homes around the country for several days to participate in the culture, customs and faith of the Australians and New Zealanders. | ||
| July 15th Welcoming Ceremonies with Cardinal Pell of Sydney | ||
| July 16th Morning Catechesis, afternoon activities, evening festivals | ||
| July 17th Morning Catechesis, Welcoming ceremonies with the Holy Father | ||
| July 18th Morning Catechesis, Evening Stations of the Cross | ||
| July 19th Pilgrimage to chosen location for an evening vigil with the Holy Father | ||
| July 20th Closing Mass with the Holy Father | ||
